


More Than You Know

by orphan_account



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Bruises, Comfort, Fluff, Hitting, M/M, Parental Abuse, tw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-18
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-21 08:04:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4821539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyler’s father is ‘not an abusive man’, he just ‘gets angry sometimes, and needs help’. According to Tyler, that is. If only Josh knew about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sensitive topic, and I have no intentions of offending anyone, so i really am sorry if I do so. If you would like me to adjust something you think is not realistic in the sense, or just have any concerns or criticism at all, feel free to leave a comment or ask for my kik!

Bruises often appear at random, seeking attention to a mistake you didn’t realize you had made. Suppose your thigh met the corner of a table, or your shoulder got shoved too hard in the hallway; Those could be possible candidates for the purple mark you found in surprise this morning.

But not for Tyler. Tyler didn’t make mistakes like those, he didn’t find bruises at random; He expected them.

It was a custom he had grown according to, and finding a new bruise in the morning did nothing to surprise him, let alone set a frown on his lips. He did not like the sight, of course, but it was another day in his life, a way carved out especially for him. So it was not a big deal for him to be found in the boy’s bathroom, reapplying a yellow-based concealer- because those were the thickest and hid the most color- before the bell rang.

Usually he would do this in his own bathroom, on his own time, but his father had been extra angsty this morning, and he didn’t want to have to tend to any bleeding that early.

Maybe you would say he was crazy for keeping something like that under wraps, but he would most likely say you were the one crazy for telling someone about it. Telling someone meant certain punishment, if not death. Figuratively, of course, because he didn’t think his father would ever _actually_ kill him. All though, he didn’t seem to have a reason not to, but of course, Tyler’s father was _‘not abusive’, guys._

Everything that happened in the Joseph household was kept behind closed doors, never seeing the light of day.

And maybe it was better that way.

////

Tyler glanced up as the bell rang shrilly. He shoved the makeup deep into his bag, zipping it closed and rushing out of the bathroom.

He had his first period in World History, which happened to be all the way across the building. He didn’t know why he had to use the restroom farthest from where he was supposed to be in the first place.

Cursing himself, he walked quickly, holding onto the straps of his backpack as if he would fall off the face of the Earth if he let go. He pushed past students, mumbling small apologies and practically running through the halls.

The noise was too loud, there were too many students talking at once. But he ignored the pounding in his head, dedicated to get to class on time. He knew his father was an angry man, willing to take his anger out on his family, so he took the consequences directly to protect his siblings, and did not want to fuel the fire by getting any bad conduct or detentions from being tardy.

It was a silly thing to obsess over, but an important one to Tyler, and it was not one to be ignored.

By the time he got to World History, the class was almost full, the bell just seconds from ringing. He glanced around the classroom, locating the familiar mop of red hair.

He smiled, walking straight to the boy, who had saved him a seat on the floor near the back of the room. This confused Tyler to an extent, but forgot about it when Josh pulled him down with him.

“Hey Ty,” He smiled brightly, hugging his waist.

Tyler smiled softly, holding his hands in place. “Hey J,” He laughed. “Why are we on the floor?”

Josh looked at the front of the room.

"Teacher's out, I guess we have a sub or something." He shrugged, looking back. "Why not?"

Tyler just shook his head teasingly.

Josh narrowed his eyes, laughing.

"You were later than usual today." He noticed.

Tyler shrugged.

"I thought you were, like, super keen about getting to class early?" He asked. Tyler shrugged again.

"I just got here late, that's all."

Josh was reluctant, but he nodded.

He wet his lips, and Tyler turned around to face him.

"So, do you think you can come over later?" He scrunched his eyebrows as Tyler got situated across from him, leaning on a table.

Tyler hesitated, "Well... I don't know, actually." He didn't know if his father would be home or not. "I guess I'll see when I get home, and then text you?" He chewed on his lip.

Josh nodded, eyeing his face for a hint of his mood.

"Yeah, okay."

It was quiet between the two for a minute, before Tyler started laughing again. Josh raised an eyebrow, feeling the urge to laugh as well; He smiled along with Tyler instead.

“Oh my god, Josh, do you remember when you were first new to the school, and you, like, somehow got to the third floor of the building and I had to come and get you because you were so lost?”

Josh’s cheeks grew hot as his eyes widened. “I thought you said you wouldn’t bring that up again. Geez!” He smacked Tyler’s arm gently, laughing. He must have not seen Tyler flinch, because he didn’t say anything about it; And Tyler played it off like usual.

////

Tyler and Josh had only known each other for about a year, but they had grown closer than most of the friendships that have lasted for four. They met each other when Josh transferred from his old school, and didn’t have anyone to talk to.

Tyler had been one of the only people to smile at him in an exchange of kindness rather that disapproval. They didn’t know what it was, but they had taken a liking to one another quickly, exchanging numbers only a day after meeting.

Tyler noticed Josh’s red hair, and liked that a whole lot too, and would play with it whenever they had free time, which was rare now.

And Josh noticed Tyler as a whole; His facial expressions, his smiles, where his eyes were directed, the way his hands always had to be busy, and he couldn’t help but like him a bit more.

And though he would never admit it, Josh found himself developing a crush for the other boy. He would catch himself staring at his lips, wanting to hold him whenever he was in reach, longing to treat him right.

Of course, he thought these motives were childish and pushed the feelings aside to spare him heartbreak, but he still felt the same things. He just played them off as if they were never there.

Tyler, on the other hand, hadn’t started out that way. He wasn’t focused on attraction, it was a mere distraction from trying to fake his fear away everyday. Fear was all he felt, and fear was all he was focused on.

Over the course of the next year or so, things had changed for the both of them. Tyler, of course, still hadn’t told Josh about the abuse that had, if anything, gotten more frequent, and he didn’t plan to. But he had opened up more, stopped hiding beneath the nearest shadow he could find.

He had gotten more affectionate towards people as well; He wouldn’t freeze as much when people patted his shoulder or placed their hand on his leg while laughing. That didn’t mean he did not flinch, by any means, though.

It was like Josh had introduced a whole other side to Tyler, taking both of them by surprise. Like many of the other friendships in the school, hugs from behind were common for Tyler, and he often felt the need to spot out his friend whenever the school day started, or they were in a crowded situation. Almost as if they had never _not_ known each other.

Tyler had gotten happier, less shy, but no less scared. The abuse didn’t magically go away with a new friendship; Nothing could make something like that go away so soon, and even if it somehow managed to, there would always be those memories. It wasn’t as easy as 123, and it most certainly did not make Tyler any less frightful and Jumpy to any unexpected touches.

He simply learned how to detect when they were coming, and had to tell himself not everyone was out to hurt him.

It was hard for Josh to detect when Tyler was acting strange, because he had been acting strange since Josh first met him. In his mind, that was how Tyler acted, it was who he was. But that couldn’t be any less of who he was.

He was never the ecstatic, always happy to be in public kind of kid, but he was also never as shadowed as he was now. He was moderately happy, induced in a basketball world, never setting the ball down. He was athletic, running up and down the halls of his middle school, shouting at his friends to come join him.

His teachers loved him, with his A’s and perfected personality. Of course, he was no golden child, he had his days where he would slip up. But for the most part, he grew up in a strict household, and anything that got back to his Parents would either be rewarded or punished severely; He learned the difference between wrong and right soon enough.

But with his father’s change of personality, everything he had done suddenly felt like a wrong. If his father was upset, he only knew of one way to release his anger, and it involved Tyler. It’s strange that someone would harm the thing they helped create, and looking through past family photo albums was especially strange to see the change in his father’s eyes.

It went from pure signs of affection, to a strange, deranged look of self-hatred, dark pupils bleeding through the paper, almost as if they knew of what was to come.

Tyler remembered the first time he saw his mother cry. She was always the strongest person he knew, and seeing her shed tears was not something he would ever wish to see, but he had.

It was late at night, his father out for some business meeting across town. The TV was on in the living room, a static warmth spreading throughout the room. His mother had a warm cup of coffee held in both hands, taking slow sips to try to stay awake to see his father when he returned.

His siblings were upstairs asleep, with it being a school night. His mother and him had started talking about their day, and what they planned to do over the weekend.

Perhaps they would go to the mall; Shop for some new clothes, maybe even a pair of shoes or two.

Sip.

Or they could go the fair being held over the week, maybe even win a few things from the arcade.

Sip.

Or what if they went to the movies to see that new film that just came out and was supposed to be really good?

Creak.

They had both turned their head towards a frowning father.

He was setting his keys on the counter, and forcefully shutting the door.

His mother had set her coffee down, walking over to him carefully, he had remembered it so clearly.

She had tried to ask him how the meeting went, if they accepted his proposal or not. He didn’t answer, and that set a frown on her face. She tried to push further, something she would soon learn she shouldn’t have done.

He had smacked her hard on her jaw, a quick snap filling the quiet of the room, the only voices being the news anchors on the television.

It was silent for a moment, until she spoke up, asking him _why the hell he would do that._ But he only yelled back, angry, seething words still burned into Tyler’s brain.

And then he hit her again, sending her stumbling back to clutch the table. He had walked past her, upstairs, acting as if it had never happened.

 **  
** And he saw hot tears cascade down her cheeks, yet he sworn he heard her climbing into the same bed that night.

 

They never did go to the mall that weekend.

 

And Tyler was never the same.

 

He knew something had poisoned his father.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler is confused, Josh even more so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for the 25+ Kudos on the first chapter! ヅ ツ ッ シ

When the final dismissal bell rang, Tyler didn’t want to go home. He could never tell what his father would be like when he got there; Whether he would be angry or upset, or distant and quiet throughout the night, or even there at all.

He also didn’t want to leave Josh, who he was hoping to spend the evening with once he got to his house, but they both knew that was going to be ruled out. Josh may have been unaware of the things going on inside the house, but he saw the look on Tyler’s face from time to time and knew when a ‘maybe’ would become a ‘sorry, I can’t’.

Tonight was one of those nights.

Tyler had waved goodbye to Josh, walking slowly to his house. He kicked pebbles and leaves around, hoping to stall time. But, unfortunately for him, he couldn’t stall too much, and he reached his house soon enough.

He remembered opening the front door with his eyes downcast, kicking his shoes off by the staircase. He had grabbed the railing, looking around the living room for a sign that his father was home, but found none. So he bounded up the stairs quickly, running into his room and dropping his bag by the door.

He proceeded to do his homework quickly, rushing but making sure to get the correct answers, and then threw it all aside, his worries nearly gone.

And then he dialled Josh’s number.

//

So there he was, on the phone with Josh, talking about something one of the teachers did in class.

Tyler had his legs crossed on the bed, frowning to himself as he picked thread from his shirt.

“I can’t believe she did that, they should fire her for that.” Josh huffed, clearly upset.

“Maybe she was having a bad day?” Tyler suggested.

“That doesn’t give her the right to hit one of her students, especially in front of the whole class, Tyler!”

Tyler breathed in deeply, his voice quivering. “Okay, well… I don’t know.”

There was a moment of silence on the other line.

“...Are you sure you’re alright, Tyler?” Josh asked quizzically.

Tyler closed his eyes and huffed loudly. “Yes, Josh, just- I’m fine, okay?” Josh hesitated another few seconds.

“Okay, well, if you need anything, just…” He struggled for the right words to say. “Don’t be afraid to come and talk to me, I can sneak you in if I ever need to.”

Tyler found this considerate, but he couldn’t have Josh worrying and risk the chances of him keeping everything behind closed doors. Doors that were locked, and he wasn’t willing to give him the key just yet.

“Josh. I don’t get what’s making you feel that I’m-” But he paused, his breathing went shallow.

He heard the front door downstair creak open. “Tyler?” Josh asked.

Keys chimed against the countertop, and he began to panic. Footsteps scuffled on the floor, making their way onto the staircase.

“Tyler are you there?” He heard the footsteps approach farther up the stairs. “Did I lose you?”

Tyler didn’t answer, but instead let out a low whine. “I gotta go Josh, I’ll call you later.” He whispered, hanging up the call before Josh could even respond.

He hid his phone beneath his pillow case, staggering to pull out his finished math homework, his father's hand already on the doorknob.

The steady pace of his heart grew rapid, a fear he could never shake snaking up his throat. He didn't want to get hit tonight. He was tired of covering up the bruises, tired of curling up after a fight and crying.

He never deserved what his father did to him, continues to do to him. He didn't care what everyone else said about abuse, he never got used to it. He could never accept the pain he soaked up, he would never be unafraid of his father. He felt like a coward.

The door opened, and his father poked his head through. There wasn't a trace of anger on his face.

"Hey bud," He spoke casually, opening the door fully and stepping in.

Tyler didn't answer, only looked up confused, searching for a hint on his face.

"I brought home dinner, if you want any. Food's downstairs." He gave a tight smile and waited for a response.

When Tyler didn't answer, he nodded awkwardly, walking out of the room.

Tyler only stared at the spot his father had left from, his mouth agape. His father didn't even speak to him with sarcasm, and he brought back food.

Usually he expected it to be there by the time he came home, no exceptions.

But not this time.

He slowly grabbed for his phone, still focused on the spot.

He turned it on, looking down quickly, dialling Josh's number again.

He let it ring, holding it up by his ear as best as he could with a trembling hand. It rang for a minute, before it picked up, a static filling the background.

"Tyler!" Josh practically yelled, his tone filled with worry.

"Hey," He said lowly, getting up to shut the door. He looked out to make sure his father didn't see, before clicking the door shut.

"Are you alright? What happened?" He breathed.

Tyler didn't answer. He breathed in slowly, steadying his voice.

"Um... Do you think I can come over?" His voice cracked.

"Yeah, of course, Ty." He spoke confused. "Do you want me to come pick you up?"

Tyler was shaking at this point. "No... I can walk, I just... I don't know..." He gave up.

Josh breathed out on the other line. "Okay, well, I'll have my window open." He spoke.  "Please hurry, you're scaring me."

"I'm sorry," Tyler whispered. "I'm coming." And he hung up, a swift motion.

He grabbed his phone charger and stuffed it inside his pocket. Running out of his room, he bounded down the stairs, careful to be quiet.

There was no one in the living room or kitchen, and the food that was once there was now empty. No one had even bothered to throw away the trash.

Tyler hesitated, and then scurried to throw away all of the paper bags, trying to make it look like he came down to eat too. Anything to eliminate possible anger from his father counted.

He finished quickly, practically running out of the door to make sure nobody was there to see him leave.

///

A swift, threw taps to the window. The Autumn chill tingled Tyler's spine, and he bounced his leg on the gravel as he waited for Josh.

The amount of speed he sprinted down the three blocks it took to get to his house was unimaginable, if anyone saw him they surely would have thought he was being chased.

He was panting, trying to recollect his breath.

The latch on the window clicked, and the glass slid open, revealing a worried Josh.

"Tyler! Hey, come in." He smiled half heartedly, noticing the panic on Tyler's face.

He backed away, and Tyler climbed through quickly, stumbling here and there.

Josh went to close the window and lock it once he was inside.

"What happened, Ty?" He asked, turning around. Tyler didn't answer, only wrapped his arms around Josh and buried his face in crook of his neck.

He let out a sob.

Josh was taken by surprise, but returned the hug, holding Tyler's head in place. "Hey, Tyler, it's okay. I'm here." He spoke softly, feeling his shoulder grow wet.

"Ty, can you tell me what's wrong?" He mumbled into the brown hair. He felt him shake his head no, and he sighed.

"Hey, let's go sit on the bed, will that be better?" He suggested.

After a minute Tyler nodded and pulled away, his eyes red. Josh gave him a small smile, and tugged his hand along.

Tyler got situated against the headboard, pillows bordering him on all sides as he sunk in. Josh's bed was always the most comfortable out of the other ones he's slept on.

Josh went to turn the light switch off, and turned a lamp on, giving the room a relaxing haze. This wasn't the first time he's comforted Tyler.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked again, sitting down next to Tyler and pulling a blanket over them both.

Tyler just stared at the wall, a far away look in his eyes. He was so confused, so conflicted.

He was tired of having to guess what his father would be like when he got home. He was tired of his father expecting him to be buddy-buddy with him one day, and his stress ball the other. But he supposed he deserved it. Why else would he do it?

Tyler let out a small 'I don't know'. Josh gave a sympathetic smile, letting Tyler's head rest on his chest.

"Well, when you're ready to tell me you can. Whenever that may be."

Tyler wrapped his arms around Josh's waist, burying himself deeper in his warmth. Josh smiled to himself, running his fingers through his hair.

"Okay," He whispered.

**  
Maybe that key would be given out sooner than he had planned.**

**Author's Note:**

> I lose inspiration really fast, and sorry, lost inspiration for this one too. Leaving it up though, in case it somehow returns.


End file.
